Giving ChaseFrom the outskirts of Philadelphia comes Giving Chase, who play punk hardcore in the vein of bands like Kid Dynamite with the emotional charge and intelligence of bands like Preacher Gone To Texas. From the first resonating note in the opening instrumental track to the last piano note, this band brings light to their emotions and feelings through intelligent and introspective lyrics. The track "Simple Self" features frantic punk riffing very reminiscent of Kid Dynamite, then "Love Alive" reminds me of Preacher Gone To Texas, from the song structure and guitar work to the talked vocals. Now this is where this review takes a turn for the worst and filled with less good things to say about this release. For the most this EP is a pleasant listening experience, my gripe is that the songs drag on a bit for my liking. As well as not doing a good enough job of blending their influences together, one moment it’s straight up punk hardcore then its like listening to Thursday w/ Taking Back Sunday vocal styling. The binding force is definitely the lyrics, which were arranged nicely and leave you thinking without not having a clue what the lyrics are actually referring to. I just could do without a lot of the drawn out sections with Taking Back Sunday vocals and songs breaking the five, six minute mark. This band could have something if the vocalist used the style he applied in Simple Self throughout the album, its just way too pop punk. Add a little more hardcore and a little less pop, especially in the vocal department and I might give this band another fair chance. The cover art really got my hopes up, I was expecting some good old pirate hardcore but instead I got punk hardcore with no real bite, shame too because the production ruled.
Rating: 2/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Simple Self
Thesis: I need more hard in my hardcore